Meetings
by Yamadori
Summary: Blue Dragon Anime. Spoilers for Season 2. Oneshot. Xi remembers her days at the academy, and the young boy she met there... Daner x Xi.


**Hey, guys! I finally got around to upload that Daner x Xi oneshot I've been talking about! It would've been up earlier today, but there was supposed to be someone coming over to my home to repair something again - who never came, by the way - and I was working on chapter two of **_**The Final Warrior of Light**_** (which will hopefully be done soon)... Anyway, I can't think of anything important I need to mention, so after a note and the disclaimer, we can get on with the story.**

**Note: Almost the whole thing is in Xi's POV.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Dragon. But I own the idea of the academy. And one or two unnamed OCs (but you can use those if you want; doesn't matter to me).**

_I remember when I first went into the academy. I was young, fifteen, and frightened. But Homeron helped me..._

"Oniichan, I don't want to go." I knew that I shouldn't give him a hard time, but I wanted to make my point clear.

"Come on, Xi," he winked at me. "You won't regret it."

I sighed, my eyes quickly darting around to make sure no one was witnessing this embarrassing exchange. "I think I will. Homeron, you don't understand - you and I come from a highly respected gatherer family. People are either going to make fun of me or hate me."

He shook his head. "No, the academy isn't like that. It's not like regular school. Just try it and you'll see. It'll be good, I promise."

"But..."

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"No."

"Then stop worrying. Big Brother always knows best."

* * *

So that's how I find myself in a hot classroom, surrounded by people I don't know, wearing a sorry excuse for a uniform that, in reality, is nothing more than a red yukata embroidered with the school's emblem.

By this point, I've started to question several things about Oniichan, namely his judgment and sanity. I comfort myself with the fact that I'll strangle him when I get out of here.

A person entered the room, older than the other people in here. She wore a kimono with long sleeves; it's becoming obvious to me that this is a pattern. When the woman started talking, I tuned her out until she called my full name.

"Here." I replied, hoping that I was right in my presumption of her checking the students; usually you don't say a student's whole name unless you're calling on them.

Apparently I was right, since she continued by calling on another student by their whole name.

"Here." I arched my eyebrows at the young-sounding voice that replied. I quickly scanned the students with my eyes, finding him almost instantly. He sounds young because he _is_ young - dark eyes set on his boyish face, with light brown hair spiking up around his round head.

It's... intriguing, really. Why is there a child in this class? I'm probably not older enough than him to have leave to call him a child, but still - there's no one in here younger than him. I guess that will be my first task as an information-gatherer-in-training: find out more about this boy.

* * *

As the day progressed, I found out that my presumptions of the students were wrong. They didn't dislike me at all.

"Can I buy your lunch, Xi-senpai?" "No, let me do it, Xi-senpai!" "I'll get you something really nice, Xi-senpai!"

They practically worshiped me.

I swear that I'll strangle Homeron if he knew. Though I suppose I was going to do that anyway.

Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. With the bento I brought with me, I ran outside in a desperate attempt to escape.

I find myself now in the school's garden. It's quite lovely - I can recognize willows and orchids, and a few plants native to this area. The trees make it seem like the sky is raining petals, especially when the wind blows and moves the branches.

Once I've gone in further, I discover a large pond. It's filled with water lilies and lotus flowers, and some of the fallen blossoms are floating on the surface like tiny boats. After I've gotten over my awe, I take a seat on one of the nearby rocks.

A crunch sounds in the air, the sound of a crisp fruit or vegetable being bitten into. "It's nice, huh?"

My eyes shoot to the right - there he is, the boy from before. "Yes, it is." I reply.

He stands, wiping his hands on his blue yukata. "They bring Koi fish here in the spring."

"What do they do the rest of the time?"

A shrug. "Take 'em out. Sometimes they'll take a chance and bring them out during autumn, but very rarely."

"How do you know all of this?"

He smirks. "A true information gatherer finds out everything they want to know. Ooh, is that tempura?" His "cool" exterior is instantly abandoned once I've taken off my box's lid.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Can I have some?" he hops eagerly from foot to foot.

"Why? You have your own food."

"I love tempura. Please; you don't have to give me a lot. You can just give me one, or even half of one. Please!"

"Maybe if you answer a few more of my questions," I moved over to make room for him, patting the new space next to me. "Come here."

"Oh, thank you!" he rushed to the rock, nearly knocking me over in the process.

"Hey, hold on a minute!" I held the battered shrimp away from him, irritated that he had nearly pushed me out of my seat. "I said I _might_ give you some after we talk."

His mouth twitched around, then he cried out in pain as he grabbed his cheek; if I had to guess, he's bitten the inside of his mouth. "What do you want to know?"

"How long have you been going here?"

"Today's my first day."

"How old are you?"

He looked a little amused. "Twelve. Can I have some tempura now?"

I relented, sighing. "Sure." I handed it to him by chopsticks.

By the time the day was done, all of my tempura - and a cherry tomato - had been devoured.

* * *

"What do you want to know about him for, Xi-senpai?"

My eyebrow twitched; I didn't really want to run back to the garden pond like I did yesterday. Not yet, anyway. I want more information about him first. "I'm curious about him."

She shrugged. "Suit yourself," I could've hugged her then; some casualness at last. "You probably know this already, but his name is Daner. There really isn't much that anyone knows about him; he's an orphan."

My eyes widen. "How did he get in then? You almost always need some kind of connection to a gatherer to be accepted into the academy. Or at least a recommendation."

The girl smiled as if she was sharing a terrible secret. "Well, according to what I've heard, Daner's guardian is an old and skilled Knight Master. Nobody really knows how he got it, but he's got a lot of money from somewhere; the most common rumor is that many years ago, he was a mercenary before he was a Knight Master, and he saved money from the jobs he took. Regardless, he has the money somehow. Enough to put Daner through, anyway."

A Knight Master of Jibral Kingdom... Most of them aren't paid much; they usually do it for almost nothing by choice, and they're always treated like royalty anyway. So where would he have gotten all that money from? Looks like another lunch at the pond, and one without tempura (for me).

* * *

He grins wide when he sees me approaching, the kind of smile that boys have that show you how young they really are. And, I might be losing it a little... but his cheeks seem a little redder than yesterday. "You came back."

"It's better out here than in there. Apparently, I've developed a fan club of sorts."

He laughed loudly - I couldn't tell whether I should be angry that he'd make light of my misfortune or to join in. "They're an odd bunch. But, I guess most information gatherers are."

I sit down on my rock from yesterday. "They seem to think you're pretty odd, too."

He shrugged. "I doubt that any of them had even _seen_ an orphan before they met me. All of their parents are alive, though there are a few that are divorced. Which, if you consider the nasty fights, can be worse than death."

"You investigate every detail of everything, don't you?"

"I do; comes with the territory. And you never mentioned anything about my being an orphan. I guess you've been asking around about me."

I blushed. "Maybe."

He snorted. "Don't play. Of course you have. The thing that I'm wondering is why you find me so interesting. I think that'll be my new investigation project."

I folded my arms. "I'm not telling you anything."

"I'm not leaving you alone until you talk," he placed a finger under his chin. "But I _might_ just relent a little if you give me some tempura."

* * *

I sighed, laying on the grass, letting the petals fall on me. Daner was late today.

I lost track of how many days it's been exactly, but the semester is almost over. The teachers told me that since I've excelled in my studies, I'll be graduating once the school year is done. I'll become a full fledged information gatherer.

At first, becoming one hadn't been such a big deal. I wasn't so ignorant that I ignored my gatherer heritage, but I would've preferred becoming a mixologist. But as I progressed in the class... I changed my mind.

Suddenly, I wanted to know about everything. I wanted to learn about people, places, things. I wanted to find out everything about them.

But just because I've had this revelation doesn't mean that everything's perfect.

Daner is avoiding me. I know he is. He's always "late" for lunch, even though I always see flashes of his blue yukata as he skitters through the garden, trying to hide from me. He won't even come out for tempura.

It's bothering me a lot. This isn't like him at all. But I'd just like to know why.

"Sorry I'm late." his flat-sounding words cut through my thoughts. He sits down next to where I'm sprawled out.

"Of course." I say it harsher than I intended to.

He flinches. "I had some stuff to take care of."

"It must be pretty important," I roll onto my side, so I'm facing away from him. "If you're going to miss tempura for it."

"I-I didn't miss it. I'm here now. You saved me some... right?"

"No. It seemed like you weren't coming, so I just ate them." I enjoyed how stunned he looked, but I felt guilty for it.

"How... How could you?" his voice is filled with hurt; most people would probably think we're crazy, but since the day we met, the tempura thing has been like a tradition.

"How could _you_ not show up?" I turn a harsh glare on him.

"Because of this..." He takes my hand, dropping something into it that clinks. I open my hand after he takes his away, seeing two rectangular silver earrings.

"Daner..."

"It's a gift," his voice is tight and shaky, his cheeks red. "Since you're graduating after the semester, I thought I should get you something. Also, because you're graduating, I'm going to miss your birthday, so..."

The guilt has become overwhelming. "You didn't have to do that." my voice is barely above a whisper.

"I wanted to. Because you're..." he stops for a moment, blushing. "You're my best friend. On my end, anyway." The last part he says quickly. Probably too quickly.

I smile at him reassuringly, taking his hand. "You're my best friend, too. You have been ever since I came here."

He blushes harder, but his eyes shine with happiness. "I'm glad. And..." he glances down at the earrings, then back up at me. "Promise me something?"

I nod. "Sure."

"Hold onto those for me. It... It'll be like a symbol of our friendship." That boyish grin comes back in full force.

"I'll always keep them with me." And I did.

* * *

Homeron looked out the window, a distant look in his eyes. "Yeah. My little sister's coming home from the academy today," the small smile on his lips grew larger. "Xi is getting so big."

The old man's eyebrows arched. "Xi, you say? I wonder..." His voice held a bit of humor.

"What is it, Gridr?" Homeron leaned forward, suddenly interested; he'd just wanted to have a chat with an old friend, but he hadn't expected to get any news out of it.

Gridr sighed, leaning back in his chair; when Homeron got that look in his eyes, he usually found out whatever he wanted to know, whether you wanted to tell him or not. "Well, my boy Daner-"

Homeron snickered. "You talk like he's your son."

He glared. "I took him in. That's all."

Homeron chuckled. "That's what you keep telling me."

"Like I was saying," Gridr's patience surprised even himself. "Daner has been telling me in his letters about this wonderful young lady he met at the beginning of the school year. He says she's, on quote, 'a tempura-giving maiden with eyes and hair the color of the sea'."

"He sounds love-struck."

"Oh, that's not even the best of it. For his sake, I'm not even going to tell you the romantic things."

"You old coot, you're leaving out the best part!"

"Well, you ought to remember that this 'old coot' could slice you up in a second." The laughter in Gridr's eyes told that the threat was empty.

"Take it easy, Gridr. You sure you can't tell me anything?"

"Well... I suppose I could tell you something," Daner would probably kill him for this later. "Her name is Xi."

* * *

"Hey, Sis?"

"Yeah?" I look up from I'm unpacking my bag.

"I'd like to talk to you about Daner..."

I turn around now. "How do you know about him?"

"That's classified," he winks at me. "But, I just wanted to say... I think he's too young to be your boyfriend."

I'm sure that for miles around, everyone can hear my screech and the following sounds of things shattering.

_I'm glad that Homeron convinced me to go. I don't regret it at all._

**Well, it's finally done. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Anyway, there are two things would like to note. First of all, the uniforms were partially inspired by some screenshots of the anime Bleach. I've never actually **_**watched**_** Bleach... But that isn't the point. Still, the uniforms aren't the same; just **_**inspired**_**. Second of all, and the more important of the two, I'm not entirely sure about the translation of Gridr's name. I know what his name is in Japanese and Norse (don't ask), but the English romanized version is a little odd. If I find out that it's different, I'll come back in and change it. Until then, I'll leave it as Gridr. Oh, another important thing to mention: Now that I know about the "Review Reply" button, I can reply to everyone's reviews for my oneshots. So, if you have any questions, feel free to add them to your review; I always love answering stuff (especially anything related to Blue Dragon). :) Well, that's all I can think of to mention. Thanks for reading! :D**


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